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Friday, December 18, 2015

Holiday Safety Tips For Your Pets

Top Winter Holidays Safety Tips for Your Furry Children

Buying gifts, baking cookies, decking the halls - there’s so much hustle and bustle going on during the holidays that it’s easy to become overwhelmed. You try to remember the most important things and not to lose sight of what the holidays are all about - family, friends, and love. Your dog is a member of your family, too, and you show them your love all year round by keeping them safe with healthy dog food, regular veterinarian visits. During Christmastime, there are some special precautions you should take to keep your dog safe in the midst of all the festive fun. Here are the top tips for dog safety at Christmas.

This year we have the new pups, Tugg and Luna to worry about, They are just a year now but very much still in the puppy stage. Here they are in there new holiday sweaters. Don't they look alike?

We miss our big dog Sandy at Christmas. She loved all the Christmas morning hustle and bustle and never stopped playing in all the wrapping. I wonder how these two will do. They have new matching stockings that will be waiting for them on Christmas morning.Sneakers, our 15 year old cat, is enjoying the Christmas tree. I do like to get gifts under the tree right away as the cats will try and drink from the water and I want to prevent that.

Don’t Give Your Dog Table Scraps

All the delicious food may be one of your favorite parts of the holiday, but it’s also one of the most dangerous for your dog. A dog’s keen sense of smell means they’ll be attracted to many different things, even foods that are toxic or items that are inedible. Alcohol, chocolate (especially dark or unsweetened baking chocolate), and xylitol (a sugar substitute) are poisonous to dogs and can be fatal even in small doses. Other toxic foods that can cause severe illness in dogs are grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, coffee, tea, and fatty foods (such as gravy and turkey skin).

Do not give your dog bones, either, because they can pierce their mouth, throat, intestinal tract, or stomach lining. Be very cautious with food prep or storage items like aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and meat twine or string. These can choke your dog or cause serious internal damage. Make sure all garbage is placed in an outdoor garbage bin. The best thing you can do is keep your dog out of the kitchen entirely, which will also prevent cooking-related accidents. Utilize a gate or to ensure your dog can’t access the kitchen.

Be Cautious of Your Christmas Tree

While the Christmas tree is the most iconic Christmas decoration, there are many potential hazards related to it that all dog owners should be aware of. For example, your dog can be injured if the Christmas tree falls on them, so consider anchoring it to the wall. If your dog chews on electrical wires, make sure any light strand cords are hidden or out-of-reach, or your dog will be at risk of electrical shock. Glass ornaments, if eaten, can cause serious injury to your dog. Tinsel and garland can also cause blockages or choke your dog.

The water in the stand of your real Christmas tree can become toxic, because stagnant water will breed bacteria, and pesticides used in growing your tree will collect in the stand. Pine needles can also be toxic and cause stomach irritation, so don’t allow your dog to chew on your tree branches (including artificial trees) or eat fallen pine needles. If your dog won’t leave the tree alone, consider purchasing a portable fence, especially because this tool will keep your dog safe without requiring you to alter the look of your tree.

Beware of Other Hazards in the Home

If you have any traditional Christmas plants in your home, make sure your dog cannot get to them. Mistletoe, poinsettias, and holly plants are poisonous to dogs. It’s best to avoid using them as decorations altogether and opt for the artificial versions instead. Potpourri, essential oils, and adhesives/glues are also toxic to dogs. Make sure lit candles are also out-of-reach so your dog won’t accidentally knock them over and start a fire.

When having guests in your home, ask them to keep their medications, gum, and other dangerous substances up high where your dog can’t get them. When you’re cleaning in preparation for guests, be careful not to leave toxic cleaning chemicals out. Remind your guests not to feed your dog or leave their drinks/plates unattended.

As always, a little precaution and common sense will go a long way for keeping your dog safe. Keep the phone numbers to your local animal hospital and your vet’s office handy, and be sure to call at the first sign of distress in your dog. If your dog is acting strangely or is ill, call right away. Keep an eye on your dog as much as possible, but consider keeping them in a closed room that is free of hazards during a busy holiday party. Remember that dogs get overwhelmed by lots of activity, people, and noise much more easily than humans do.

Thanks for such great tips for keeping our pets safe for the holidays. For Christmas we always have a large crowd of people over. I am very careful to let everyone know not to feed our dog any table food as he is getting older and cannot process the heavy food we eat.

Thank you to all the tips. I would like to share that you should not hang salt dough ornaments on the tree where your pet can reach it and eat it.. The salt used to make these ornaments is very toxic and can cause death. Many people make paw print ornaments to honor there pets only to be devastated by what happens when the pet eats it.

I no longer keep fresh poinsettias in the home (although I love them dearly) as they are toxic to animals and birds. I have two small parrots. I save treats and toys and give them out when we are having food that is not good for sharing with them. Keeps them happy and safe and keeps me sane! I love my little feathered babies and consider them my family. We always want to keep a safe, healthy and happy flock!

I find house guests to be most dangerous, not because they mean to be, but they aren't use to our pets. We do things as second nature, so we forget to warn people when they come to visit. We know the cat doesn't go outside and the dog doesn't go upstairs. Of course, the pets know the new people don't know this and they take advantage.

We do exactly the opposite. Our homeopathic vet said to feed them turkey so we do. We also have a pen set up for them outside and set up the barn w bedding and a heater. That way if we have lots of guests going in and out the doors we know our animals are safe and warm and can't dart out the door.

If you are entertaining, it might be a good idea to put the pets in another room. Guests may feed too many treats to a friendly pet or leave a plate of food unattended. Also, some pets will slurp up an unattended cocktail! Merry Christmas!

We make sure our trash can is out of reach or where we can keep an eye so that the dogs don't get into anything bad for them. When guesta are with us they stay in the yard or crated. Also, im tweeting this for a second entry.

I have three cats and two of them like to lick and eat plastic! Any plastic bags or packing material are fair game. I keep plastic bags to dispose of cat waste, so I make sure that the plastic bags are kept in a wicker basket on top of a high shelf in the laundry room.

I remember when we used to have tinsel on our tree, when I was a kid. It was so bad for our cat! She would try to swallow it down. When we have had indoor pets, we trim the lower branches so there are not any ornaments that are within reach.

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